u/aka_FNU_LNU

When I hear this excuse that people just want to sin or hide sin and leave or step away to avoid criticism, I want to bang my head against a wall. It's so demeaning to real people with lived experiences of negative Mormon church interaction.

I didn't step away cuz I was steeped in sin, I stepped away out of personal self respect when confronted with the reality of the LDS church.

These guys are showing low intellect on full display.

1. Complete lack of remorse or guilt.....seemed like Joseph Smith was ok, screwing people and breaking the rules, cheating on Emma...didn't seem to really care overall how he hurt people. Sends that cowboy trash (can't remember his name) to try to kill the governor, organizes the dannites....

2. Pathological lying....this is self explanatory with Joseph Smith, he told tall tales and lies about what was happening all the time, like with the priesthood restoration dates, the origins of the plates, how he was chased by a mob...

3. Excessive manipulation....Emma and the Fanny Alger or polygamy issue...he used Emma's loyalty and love against her. He manipulated Martin Harris many times for money, and the BS story about a rock in the hat, and then later with blessings and how they could "see" the brass plates...

4. Ongoing criminal or anti-social behavior.....Joseph Smith was ok, breaking the law many times during his life, whether it was the glass looking stuff or all the BS with Kirtland safety society. He took Emma away and convinced her to marry him despite her father in law resisting his advances to his daughter. And then when Emma's dad is requesting he get a decent job and stop messing around, he has no problem saying he will be honest, then he makes up the Book of Mormon story....later in Nauvoo, he gets putt in jail for telling women he was called of God to get them to sleep with him, and if they resist he openly criticizes and insults them.

5. Superficial Charm....Joseph Smith had the power to convince people of his own powers and later divine authority and relationship with God. He was abel to lead thousands of persons in a giant religious mess, even though he was chased from Ohio to Illinois to Missouri....lots of people were amazed at his skill in fooling people and he had a history of his magnetic personality, but deep seeded lack of morals.

She's active in church but is too timid to tell the bishop how much she hates the chastity discussion and how much mental anguish it has caused her--her whole life. She still has trauma from when she was a youth having to discuss this. Everytime this comes from the temple recommend interview she is upset and withdrawn. She can't even talk about it with her close friends because she feels so put off by it.

It's disgusting and grossly inappropriate, and in no way reflects anything resembling what the Savior said or did during His ministry and when He was conveying gospel messages or blessings for salvation.

It's robs members, especially women, of dignity and self esteem to have to discuss this very private and personal with what is essentially a random male in the community.

Not only do they embarrass themselves here in this video, they embarrass themselves with their constant shilling of pseudo science and janky philosophies mixed with pithy platitudes and blind loyalist sentiment.

They should be ignored in all matters of realistic conversation and accounting of LDS doctrine or truth claims or history.

They are immature pawns sent out by crooked shop keepers to collect a spiritual tithe and tax on your soul. It is my opinion that you should stay away from them if you are serious about engaging and knowing Mormon culture lifestyle or history.

They are a coven of sycophants and egoists.

When you see this sort of content pushed by church leaders or BYU commentators you have to wonder if they realize how silly they look.

They dilute the conversation of the now exposed LDS community truth claims with the reckoning and reality of the mass exodus from the Mormon church.

My stake president, my former mission president and the general ward/TBM body have all acknowledged in the last year that there are massive people leaving the church, not seen since kirtland or nauvoo. And yet this sort of explanation and apologetics comes out which makes it look like things are fine...and we are even doing better (!!).

Pure propaganda.

I'm just saying....it's so demeaning to force girls as young as 11 or when they are grown adults to talk about their sexual development or activity in private with an unfamiliar adult males.

Totally cringe. The church keeps doing this, and I'll wager a revelation--- this is a big part of them leaving.

Why didn't they just teach their kid the truth? Or even better actually get up and help the kid out?

Instead they use guile and deception to satisfy their needs. Very creepy. Says a lot about their family and the way the larger LDS community treats us, it's loyal members.

From my perspective, I can see how someone might accuse Jasmine Rappleye of not really believing in her own religion because she promotes the idea that a father's religiosity is more relevant than the actual Holy Spirit.

I see these sorts of videos and those by other apologists as dangerous, because they detract from a spiritual study of the gospel and the actual words of Jesus Christ and instead focus on cultural dynamics instead.

If our church was true, we wouldnt be bombarded with reasons to stay in. Instead we get a lot of cultural machinations and what I consider emotional manipulation.

I'm disappointed so many of my TBM brothers and sisters cannot see this and instead fall into the propagandistic reasoning to stay in the church, just like what is being promoted here. In my opinion.....

When the church taught that Blacks were less valiant than White people, he glosses the over the point that unity in faith back then and demanded obedience and loyalty to the brethren prevented anyone from saying anything when the policy was clearly amoral and wrong. Maybe some diversity back then would have been good.

And the prophet Dallin H Oaks, doesn't understand John chapter 17, when the Savior is praying that his disciples be united in faith Jesus Christ and the Gospel he preached. The prophet presumes that diversity in thought is a modern issue that dilutes the pure gospel.

It only dilutes the BS doctrine and structure of the modern LDS church. The gospel as outlined by Jesus Christ and the structure of his disciples is really very simple and easy to follow. And doing the work of the Savior is key, not splitting hairs on what constitutes sin.

Jacob Hansen is insane and Dallin H Oaks is a sociopath. Our LDS community deserves better.

One of the hallmarks of leadership is don't ask those you lead to do something you won't do or haven't done yourself. I've never seen a mission president go tracting or approach people in public or parking lots the way missionaries do now.

I know this is a thing now, cuz I see it all the time in Walmart and mall parking lots in LA county.

Why is the mission president making these missionaries do this shameful and dangerous tactic without doing it themselves?

Does someone have actual video proof of a mission president humbling himself to proselyte in the same way the elders and sisters do?

Had a long talk with my bishop and he asked me candidly and I answered. I go to church to take the Sacrament. I don't pay tithing cuz I feel like the church should be more transparent if it really was the church of Jesus Christ.

I had an interesting conversation with a non LDS friend and he made the point, that Muslims revere Jesus Christ as the last prophet, but not divine and that he is one of many prophets. I also know Sikhs consider Jesus as enlightened man who brought goodness to the world.

This is similar to our LDS faith. We teach that Jesus was the son of god, and he 'saved us',but that he is a part player in a larger drama of many Jesus's and many savior in infinite worlds. He may be the Son of God, but there are other Christ figures in the universe.

This is why other christian faiths don't like us or respect us.

Joseph Smith:

God talks to me. I gain followers and gather them together. I get caught messing around with women. An angel told me I have to engage in polygamy. Only I can determine what is a valid revelation from God about who gets to participate. If you don't do this, you or your family will be cut off from eternal progress and cosmic blessings in the eternities.

David Koresh:

I speak for God. I am charismatic and attract certain people. I am divinely called to lead the group. I have weird relationships with women already. I have received revelation that I must form the 24 elders (in Revelations). Polygamy is my right as the prophet. I am blessing women with my presence and affection. Only I get to determine who has sexual relations, as God's prophet. If you don't agree and you get in the way, you are stopping the work of God, and the coming forth of the Second Messiah and end times.

Jim Jones:

I am prophet/minister with special insight. I gain a following because I speak of equality and fairness among the downtrodden. I claim I am the ultimate source of truth. I preach extensively that my followers must deny themselves sexual activity. Because I am God, or like a God, I am exempt from this rule. I use this power and following to fill my own sexual desires and then manipulate the masses. If you don't agree or you don't follow my guidance you are offending and assaulting spiritually all the members of the community who support me and agree that I am the ruler sent on behalf of divinity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim\_Jones

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David\_Koresh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Joseph\_Smith%27s\_wives

Just study the material---it's pretty obvious how the pattern works. Our church may have grown into a mammoth and very PC friendly, institution, but it doesn't change the truth about Joseph Smith's true nature and how he handled himself.

I'd like to see the data he is referring to that implies active LDS culture is safer for kids than the alternative. In my time in the church it's the opposite. Our community has a lot of problems related to sexual stuff...Lots of problems.....

A lot of the evidence coming out these days, seems to point out pretty clearly that our LDS/Mormon culture has a very very unhealthy relationship with sexuality, sexual development and intimacy in marriage. Worse than people outside the church.....so I don't know what Jacob hansen is talking about (par for the course...)

*Jacob Hansen

Dallin H Oaks is one of the biggest scammers there ever was. He always has a reason for why he can't give it all to the lord.. like real sacrifice, when you actually have something to lose......not serving when you are an old man and have lived your life and can relax....try giving it all to the lord when you are 19 and your whole life is ahead of you and you have to spend two years doing whatever the church wants...no school, no girlfriend...you have to actually serve the lord...and sacrifice.

Same thing for military....you sign up but some how avoid actual combat....actually having to accept the fact you may die for some BS national cause....he never did that either...

This guy has no real experience when it comes to hard decisions. He was never even a bishop or stake president. He's always just been a lackey....a loyalists....never actually having sacrificed.

Why do you guys respect him? He's not even a good prophet...look at the Mormon stories mess...or CSA issues

...this is what happens when inexperienced lawyers get in charge of the Lord's church.

I don't know how it could be any clearer. The monkey-like and most amateurish of Mormon podcasters can see that using the word 'transparent' and 'LDS faithful sources' is suspicious and not actually from the church....

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Like seriously....this is why people say our church is not only false, it is also bad....we can't even be honest about the truth among ourselves.....

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Shameful. We are on the wrong path as a church.

The recent episode with church historian McKay mocking Black members is just a nother example of how amateurish and backwards the church leaders and the members who were active at the time are. They really haven't addressed what happened appropriately and taken responsibility for the racist doctrine. What McKay did is a product of the LDS/Mormon cultures incomplete resolution regarding their past racism.

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I'm ashamed of my parents, uncles, aunt's, grand ma and grandpas who were all onboard with withholding salvation blessings and priesthood duties from Black members for 100+ years.

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When in I read their stories about sacrificing for bus ride temple trips or how they were blessed beyond their neighbors by the spirit during trying times I think they are hypocritical in their understanding of the gospel.

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All that temple attendance and green jello social functions and they couldn't see how damaging and evil the racist doctrine was. Just like Donny and Marie, they wanted to live in a bubble and pretend like it was the general authorities and God's duty to stand up for what is right.

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Shameful.

This is straight from the Joseph Smith Papers Project. No question about what he means......

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I'm ashamed of my family's heritage.